Burson-Marsteller's Penn Schoen & Berland and Sard Verbinnen & Co represent India's Apollo Tyres Ltd.'s $2.5B cash acquisition of venerable Cooper Tire & Rubber.

Founded in 1914, Findlay, Ohio-based Cooper is the No. 2 American-owned tiremaker after Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.  It markets brands such as Cooper, Mastercraft, Roadmaster, Avon, Starfire and Chengshan.

Founded in 1972, Apollo is half the size of Cooper. The potential mash-up would create the world’s seventh biggest tire company with $6.6B in global sales.

Apollo chairman Onkar Kanwar called Cooper "one of the most respected names in the tire market" and blessed with a "robust presence in North America and China."  

Gurgaon-headquartered Apollo generates 67 percent of its sales in India.

Edelman is working for Cooper.